An interesting new report published in the Extras section of broadsheet The Independent, looks at the top 20 gaming franchises by the total number of copies sold. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a certain Japanese-created New York plumber is at number one, but there are a few shocks in the top 20, with all the top 3 spots taken by games created in the land of the rising sun.

With leading the way with 193 million game sales, Pokemon slides in in second, with 155 million. Third, but quite some way off these two monsters of the gaming world, is Square's line with 68 million behind it.

Overall, eleven of the top 20 originate from Japan, with Donkey Kong on 48 million, on 47 million, the Hedgehog on 44 million and on 31 million. Six series come from the US, with at four on 56 million, The at 54 million, Command and Conquer on 25 million and on 30 million.

Two series originating in the UK made it into the top 20, with on 50 million and sixteenth on 30 million. South Korea's Lineage also made the cut with 43 million copies sold at eleventh. Perhaps the biggest surprise is what isn't on the list, surely FIFA, for example, must have sold enough copies over the years to better some of the more lowly top 20 franchises. Or how about Gran Turismo, or some other representative of the mass-appealing genre?

By Luke Guttridge

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